"Harry Potter" to be turned into TV series for Warner Bros. Discovery's Max streaming service
"Harry Potter" is making a jump from the big screen to the little screen in a straight-to-streaming television series deal, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday in a press release.
The series will land on Max, a much-hyped streaming service that Warner Bros launched earlier this month.
"'Harry Potter' is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the wizarding world," said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, in the release. "[T]his new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years."
The 10-year-long series will serve as a "faithful adaptation" of the beloved book series by J.K Rowling, which has sold 600 million copies worldwide, according to children's bookseller Scholastic. The show will feature a new cast with the aim of bringing the franchise's seven original books to life in "a whole new way," the company said.
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— Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) April 12, 2023
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The "Harry Potter" TV series marks the latest addition to the sprawling Potterverse, which includes movies, a Broadway show, theme parks, video games and an international touring exhibition.
The various adaptations of the series have proven to be wildly popular. The franchise's Hogwarts Legacy video game sold 12 million copies, worth $850 million, in the first two weeks after its February launch, according to Warner Bros. Games' earnings report.
Warner Bros. Discovery launched last year after a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. While the its new Max service has also scooped up the "Game of Thrones" franchise to draw in audiences, the company at large has faced challenges recently in getting its content off the ground. In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery shelved two projects and reduced its headcount 26% across its unscripted, scripted and animated content divisions, Deadline reported.
An official release date for the first season of the "Harry Potter" series has not been announced.
The show will be available on Max in the United States and throughout the world, the company said.